First Date
by Cchelle
Summary: TM post S2 Michelle's POV right before her and Tony's first date. ONESHOT


**Author's Note: **_I have loved reading Tony and Michelle fanfics for a while now. I am not a writer, so I have never written anything, I just like to read them. I just finished watching S2 on DVD and was thinking about how much I miss all the TM stories there used to be posted and I got bored so I decided to let my imagination run a little. It's nothing like any of the great TM fics that are posted but I figured what the hell. So if you don't like it ... sorry, and if you do...great. Either way, review and atleast let me know if anyone reads it. Thanx!_

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own 24 or the chracters, if I did this season would be a lot better! _

_This takes place right before Tony and Michelle's first date, after Season 2._

What was happening? Michelle Dessler had never felt this way before, she was sure of it. She had been in relationships before, not too many mind you, but still. And she had never felt like this.

There was something about this feeling that she couldn't place. It was nerves, but not the kind of nerves she was familiar with. She wasn't awkward nervous, she was anxious nervous. She would even admit to calling it giddy nerves. It was as if she was 13 years old again and the boy she had a crush on had told her that he "liked" her. She had wanted Tony Almeida since the day she met him. And now that it was finally happening, it seemed unreal, too good to be true.

Tony was unlike anyone she had ever met before. The attraction she felt towards him was unlike any other. It didn't take a genius to see why though. He was gorgeous. That dark brown wavy hair that was always slightly ruffled. All she wanted was to run her fingers through it. Those big brown eyes that she could read so well by now. Every time they looked up at her she felt herself hypnotized, unable to move. They drew her in like a magnet. Those eyes were definitely the windows to his soul. When there was emotion to be shown, that was where it appeared. She always loved that about him. Finally there was his smile. Something she rarely saw, but knew that it was what got her hook, line, and sinker. The way half his mouth would curve up, leaving her wondering what exactly was going on in his head. It made her weak every time and she decided it was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

As if these exterior features weren't enough to seal the deal. She was absolutely smitten by his demeanor. That's right she'd admit it "smitten". The only times she'd used that word was joking around with her friends and now she was sure that it applied to her. She was so taken in by the way he took charge of a situation, always seeming to know what to do, always confident in his decisions. He was a strong man and something about that made him irresistible.

There was something so sexy about his brooding demeanor. She had to admit this was one thing that puzzled her. She considered herself a fairly outgoing; even sometimes "perky" individual and she had always seen her "type" of guy as being similar. But Tony seemed to be the exception to her rule. He was the exception to all the rules. She wasn't a fan of guys with short tempers, but he was the exception because she loved how he was so passionate. She had never really connected with guys who were brooding and reserved with their thoughts, but he was the exception because she could see through it with him, and if she even dared to think it, she sometimes felt as if he let her see differently. Sometimes the way he would look at her or the way he would try to subtly comfort her during hard days told her that he had so much more to offer beneath the surface. Tony was the exception to the "No Interoffice Relations" rule and the exception to Michelle's personal rule of not letting anything interfere with work and her career. And he was seeming more and more to be the exception to Michelle's rule to not put herself out there in a relationship and risk getting hurt.

There was something about this man that messed with her head. She had standards for herself. She had prided herself for a while now on not letting herself care what anyone else thought of her, most especially men. She was a level headed person who thought before she acted. She didn't lose her cool, no matter what the situation. And in the last week everything had flip flopped and she didn't know what to think anymore.

She asked him out. Michelle Dessler never makes the first move and asks a guy out. Especially when that guy has seemed at times to almost make an effort not to have any unprofessional feelings towards her. And as if that wasn't enough, SHE, Michelle Dessler, kissed him, her boss no less, in a hallway at WORK. This was so not like her. And yet part of her had never been happier about a decision she had made. It may have been out of character, but it produced the result she had been wanting for so long.

Not only did he confess his interest in her, but he kissed her back. And, truth be told, it was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Maybe it was because of all of the sexual tension built up between them over the months, or maybe it was because of the extreme emotional state they were both in at the time. But either way, she had never had such an electrifying kiss before. It was almost like an out of body experience. She had no control over herself, it was a kiss fueled by pure desire and it overtook her.

She could replay it perfectly in her mind almost 2 weeks later if she only closed her eyes. The way he held the side of her face and tugged at her bottom lip … it was almost too good for words. She couldn't seem to stop thinking about what the next one would be like. "Next one", she couldn't believe she was saying it. A week ago that thought seemed out of the picture, since he hadn't made any attempt to make good on the deal they had agreed upon on the day of the bomb. But then he finally asked her out. It was finally coming together. And now here she was…

She broke her daydream to look at the clock and realized she only had an hour to get ready for her "first date" with Tony Almeida.

Michelle suddenly started to panic. She didn't know what to wear. She wanted to look perfect. This would be her first impression on him outside of CTU and she knew she only got one. She wanted to make sure that everything went perfectly so that it couldn't possibly get messed up.

Where would they be going? Would they agree on the food, on the movie? What would they talk about? Would they have a lot in common or would it be awkward and uncomfortable in this new realm outside of work? Would he want to see her again? Then there is the end of the night. Would he kiss her? What would she do, would she ask him back in? She didn't want to move at the wrong speed, she didn't want to ruin things before they even really began. But she had been wanting him for so long would she be able to resist? Suddenly her head was spinning a mile a minute and she needed to sit down.

"_Michelle, get a hold of yourself! You'll go crazy if keep playing out all of these scenarios in your head. Just relax and let things happen naturally_", she scolded herself.

She needed something to bring her back to reality and get her on the right track. She had so much to do and really not that much time until Tony would get there. In a reflex, she picked up the phone and dialed her best friend's number…

"Meg, I need your help."

"What's going on? Don't you have a date tonight…in like 45 minutes to be exact? Most people call their friend after date with the hot details, not right before."

"I don't have time to waste. Tony's gonna be here in less than an hour and I don't know what to wear and I'm going crazy anticipating what it'll be like."

"Wait a sec … is this Michelle Dessler? … Because SHE doesn't get worried about guys… and she _definitely_ doesn't get bent out of shape over what to wear on dates and how they'll play out."

"Meg!! I'm serious here. I called you to help calm me down, not point out the obvious and make me more crazy!"

"Ok, ok … I'm sorry… it's just that this isn't a usual occurrence, you know?"

"Obviously, that's why I'm calling you instead of getting ready like I need to be doing."

"Alright, well where are you guys supposed to be going?"

"I don't know exactly, but we said dinner and a movie."

At this point Michelle had just about every article of clothing sprawled out on her bed and on the floor and had mountains of hair products and some makeup laying out on her dresser and she was staring aimlessly into the mirror, somewhat hopelessly, listening intently into the receiver.

"I think you should wear your black skirt … the one I always try to take … and the red top that you wore to dinner with me and Kristen a couple weeks ago … you know the one I'm talking about."

"Yeah? You think so? I mean I want to look good."

"First of all, you'll look great in whatever you wear. Secondly, it's perfect because it's not too casual and not too dressy since you don't know where he's taking you." "Now start getting dressed and stop wasting time questioning my fashion sense when you know it's always flawless."

"Oh that's right … I forgot." Michelle said sarcastically, joking around.

"Now that that's settled … I wanna know what the hell is going on here."

"What do you mean?" Michelle answered while starting to get dressed.

"What's the deal? … Do you have like real feelings for this guy?"

"I've told you that I'm attracted to him and that I've liked him for a while now … and now we're finally going out … it's nothing new."

"I know THAT … but I didn't realize it was this serious. I mean when was the last time you got this crazy over going out with someone?"

"I think the answer is never … I dunno, I just want everything to be perfect, I really wanna be with him."

"I don't know what to say, I'm kinda shocked here… but don't worry about it, you'll be fine. You're being ridiculous. You guys have known each other and been working together everyday for almost six months. AND you've already kissed … you should be passed the hard stuff and on to getting to know each other better and …you know … MORE THAN KISSING"

"yea yea yea, alright, I'm going now."

"Alright, let me know how it goes … and remember … don't do anything I wouldn't do … hahaha."

"Right … I'll keep that in mind … I'll talk to you later … bye"

Michelle hung up and put the finishing touches on her makeup, nothing too extreme, just some mascara and lipstick, and put her hair up, fixing the ringlets that were hanging down, framing her face.

She finished with exactly … 12 minutes to spare. "_I really need to keep my mind busy"_ she thought to herself as it started to wander again. Only this time instead of analyzing the possibilities to come, she was analyzing the fact that she had been analyzing. _It was really getting out of hand._

She had never gotten so worked up over a silly little "first date". Sure she had had plenty, but that's all they were, just dates. She had felt heartache enough to not want to put herself out there. So all the "first dates" she'd been on in the past few years were taken lightly, with the approach that she didn't really care enough where they would go to put any real effort into them.

But suddenly she cared, she cared about all of these stupid things, maybe she cared a little too much. But either way, Tony meant more to her already than she would admit to even herself and she found herself caring more for him each day. This was new territory!

Now she was faced with the situation that she had only been dreaming about for the past six months! This could be the start of something amazing, she could feel it. She knew the potential was there. She could tell by the connection they had.

True, for most of the time they had known each other it was hazed by all the preconceptions and protocols and every other deterrent either of them could come up with. But it was always there, lurking just below the surface, only showing in their eyes when they caught each other's gaze.

But the day of the bomb changed everything. That connection was now real and Michelle could feel it. There were so many emotions that had been elicited that day between them. It was acknowledged.

Michelle allowed herself to get excited at the thought that this man was everything that she wanted and there was an actual possibility that she might get him. She allowed her mind to go off the deep end for a moment "_This could very well end up being my last first date_." She then quickly dismissed that thought with another, "_I'm insane, we haven't even gone out once. For all I know it may go terribly and this could be it_."

Michelle criticized herself for being so naïve and then decided that although it was a possibility, she really couldn't see the date going terribly, even if it was only because she wouldn't allow herself to harbor such an idea.

She decided she was just happy to finally get this chance and that Tony was a great guy and they would just take it one step at a time and see how it goes. They would get to really know each other and take it from there.

"_Finally, some common sense. Now I'm calm_." She thought to herself, proud at her ability to finally rationalize the situation and at the thought of being able to relax on this date and not worry or be nervous. She now had a plan.

BUUUZZZZZZZZ

"_Oh God he's here!!!"_

"_This is it!"_

…. . so much for the plan.


End file.
